Fulvic acid is a naturally-occurring organic product derived from humus, the organic material in soils produced by the decomposition of organic matter. In addition to fulvic acid, humus also contains humic acid and humin. These humic substances are active components in soil and provide numerous benefits for plants. Fulvic acid is the most plant-active of the humic substances. It is a plant growth stimulator that increases plant metabolism, nutrient intake, and improves root development.
Humic substances, including fulvic acid and humic acid, are largely found in pre-historic deposits of lignite, a soft, brownish coal that has developed from peat through bacterial action over millions of years. Smaller quantities are also found naturally in soil. Thus, while humic substances are naturally-occurring, extracting them from natural sources has proved to be complex and problematic. This is particularly true for extraction of fulvic acid from natural sources. For example, most traditional methods of extraction of fulvic acid in commercial quantities generally require extraction from lignite or coal, as is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,788,360; 5,004,831; 5,248,814; 5,670,345; 5,854,032; and 6,695,892. Other known techniques involve extraction of humic substances from humic acid bearing mineral ores, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,999. These methods generally require the use of acids and bases to leech out the desired components, and often involve many complex and energy intensive processes.